


The Poet's Apprentice and the Match Girl

by cymrymira



Series: Steam and Magic [2]
Category: Fairy Tales - Fandom, Original Work, hans christian anderson - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 07:05:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19662277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cymrymira/pseuds/cymrymira
Summary: Wishes are dangerous things, and there is always a price to be paid... but is it one so heavy?





	The Poet's Apprentice and the Match Girl

**_Once upon a time…_ **

_There was a Princess who married a quiet man with great troubles hanging over his head. It was one of convenience, she was the seventh daughter of a very small nation, and he was a once great Duke that had been scandalized in a infamous incident that left him with a bastard daughter. He was however, rather rich, and soon after their marriage, the social circle of high lords and ladies seemed to have forgotten the incident._

_The Princess tried to love her step-daughter, and in fact was rather fond of her, but the girl was wild, near like fire, and refused to go near any of them. She took her meals in the forests, and in chasing after her, the Princess would spend many nights in the forest lost and eventually being found by her Lord-Husband’s servants and led quietly back home._

_But the wild girl would not be tamed and would not come to her. Eventually the Princess stopped trying and left her to her devices, quietly ignoring the longing looks her husband would give to the forest and the paths of one he must have loved very dearly once took. That once there was one that did not get lost in the forest that came before her._

_Yet, it was not an unhappy marriage, the Princess did not want for anything._

_Still… she could not give the man what she thought that he did want, he would not touch her, and she so desperately wanted to give him an heir._

_One day they travelled to the Wedding of the Second Princess to the Prince of the Kingdom across the sea, and there for a moment, she thought he would find happiness. They brought back a strange mute girl and gave her the suite on the bottom floor of their manor, he even oversaw a garden for her and ensured that it was full of blooms year round._

_The Bastard came back then, sometime in the night, and one morning the Princess came to breakfast to see the wild girl pushing in the chair of the other, somehow becoming handmaiden and bodyguard to this strange catch of her husband’s._

_Her husband was happy. It seemed that the girl he found would agree to become his heir, she had agreed to being adopted. He had even given her a name, calling her Cordelia, after the loyal daughter of a near-forgotten king._

_The Princess frowned, remembering rumors of the woman that had caused her husband’s scandal, the longing looks towards the forest that he made nightly._

_Cordelia would not stay. She would keep her promises, but she was a wild thing as the Bastard was, and one day both would disappear. Deep down, she suspected even her Lord-Husband knew this._

_The Princess swore to herself that she would grant an heir that would stay._

_To that end, she sought out a trusted servant of her husband’s, a poet that weaved spells like tapestries, and begged for his aid._

_“A child without a father, but of his blood?” he raised an eyebrow at her, “That is strong magic indeed.”_

_“Can it be done?”_

_“Y...yes. I hesitate to say so, but it can be. However it will cost you greatly.”_

_“Name your price!”_

_He shook his head, “I cannot cast such spells. I can tell you where to find one who can. A Witch of the Sea. And the price…” he closed his eyes, “It will be your greatest treasure. I implore you… turn back, do not take this path. Your Lord-Husband is happy with you and his daughters. He does not need a son. This path will only cause tragedy.”_

_“It is the only thing I can give him,” she answered sadly, “Please. Tell me where she is.”_

_“As you wish my Princess.”_

_Following his instructions, she left late one night, travelling through the forests, taking with her a loaf of bread and jar of honey as he told her, and followed an old game trail. Three times she paused at crossroads, three times she shared her bread with whoever was sitting there. The first was a fox who told her that the Witch would beat her, better to turn back now. The second was a bird who sadly sung that the Witch would boil her, better to turn back now. The third was an old Grandmother that wasped that the Witch would skin her, better to turn back now._   
  
_The Princess ignored the warnings, politely thanked them for their advice, and gave them more bread and honey and went on her way, following the path they had told her to take once it was clear their warning would go unheeded. At the third crossroad she had only a little of both left, but it was an offering she must give at the water’s edge. Suddenly she was ravenous, and it looked to her a feast…_   
_  
She resisted, having been warned of this spell, and ignored the pain of hunger, walking forward along the path to the sea and the Shrine at the Water’s Edge._

_It was old and looked to be abandoned, and she paused for a moment, not wanting to make a bargain at such a place, and decided to clean it first. That entire day she spent sweeping away sand and pulling barnacles from the altar, and it was near midnight when she finally finished and laid the remnants of the bread and the honey as her offering._

_Vaguely she was aware of singing, the most beautiful voice that she had ever heard, and there was a tall figure that had not been there before._

_“How very kind of you to clean my shrine. There are not many that remember I exist.” Her hair flowed up and behind her as if she was still underwater, and in the darkness, the Princess could not make out the color, though it seemed nearly made of moonlight, and the Witch’s skin glowed as she swam even in mid-air around her, “What have you come to ask sad-eyed Princess of the Land Above?”_

_“I want to bear a son for my husband, the Duke Faerchylde.”_

_“That is a simple enough thing, go back and seduce him. You need not pay my prices for something so easy,” the Witch paused and stared at her, and the Princess felt herself tremble under the deep dark eyes that seemed to have seen the rise and fall of ages, “Oho… he will not touch you, even when you have done your best. Do you not have a lover then?”_

_“I refuse to be unfaithful,” the Princess bit back her tongue in further retort, “He had been hurt by scandal before. I will not add to it.”_

_“Yet he will know he did not perform…” the Witch chuckled again, “Oh this is a fun request. Are you prepared to pay?”_

_The Princess swallowed as the world seemed to darkened and nodded, “Name your price.”_

_“Your life.”_

_She stared wide eyed at the Witch, “...My life?”_

_“Your desire is to give an heir to your Lord-Husband, once the child leaves the safety of your home and journeys to adulthood as all are meant to do, then you shall die in that world and serve me in my underwater kingdom. The sun will never again know you, the moon shall not call you her daughter, you will belong to me and me alone.”_

_The Princess considered for a moment, then swallowed and nodded, “Agreed.”_

_“So quickly? Very well then. I’ll add a little bonus for you. Your Lord-Husband will know he is the father, he will have memories of touching you in such a way,” The Witch smiled sadly, “You will not, and he will never touch you… the guilt he will hold once my curse starts taking effect will keep him away.”_   
  
_“...If I may ask, then how…?”_   
_  
“My own magic. There is one that desires you, turn back and find him in the Garden. Once you leave it you shall be with your Lord-husband’s child and you will die when the child reaches the age of fifteen. Therefore, no attempting to cheat me by keeping him at home where he would be safe and you will live. On the fifteenth birthday of the Heir of House Faerchylde… You will die.”_

_The Princess nodded, and the Witch cut their palms and cast the spell, and she turned back, following the same woodland path as before, except for this time after the third crossroad, she did not find the manor, but a beautiful garden, and in it, a man she did not know._

_“I have been watching you since the Wedding by the sea,” he whispered, and she looked up, shaking her head until she noticed the eyes that had seen the rise and fall of ages, “And I must repay you for cleaning my shrine.”_

_“I do not wish to be unfaithful.”_

_“Think of it as a promise of what is to come for you,” with that she was kissed and lost to the one she had sold her soul to._

_Morning came and she was in her own bed, and her Lord-Husband sitting in a chair across from her, apologizing for the night before, he was drunk, he did not mean to…_

_The Princess assured the Duke that it was alright, that it had been everything she had wanted, and guilt gnawed at her for the trickery._

_Eight and a half months later she went into labor, and the Duke had his heir, a loud baby that did not betray that his true father was the Witch of the Sea, and the Princess was deliriously happy, even when she started to cough, the beginnings of the curse that had been her price._

_She had fifteen years. She would make them count. Her child would be loved and never have cause for despair._

_Cordelia and the Bastard adored him, the Poet saw in him at a young age the makings of a great magician and took him on as his apprentice. The Princess rested easy… her child would be a great man one day._

_If only he would make friends…_

_The worry crept to her one day as she watched him study the large books in the library, and she tried to remember the last time he had played outdoors or with people his own age._

_One day, near his seventh Winter Yule celebration, she decided to take him to town with her. Fresh air and giving out the parcels to the poor and working in one of the kitchens would do him great good. If he saw what people lived on his father’s property, then he would know how to properly lead them._

_Cordelia and the Bastard had already made their rounds it seemed, the entire town was talking of the dark-eyed Lady and her fiery companion. Many were wondering when she would take a husband, she was near twenty three years of age now, others were clicking their tongues at her inability to speak or walk, saying that the title could not be passed to her._

_The Princess was overjoyed, selfishly wanting them to accept her child without question. Then Cordelia and the Bastard would be free to roam as they wished, then her husband would have his heir._

_She never asked her child what it was that he wanted._

_It was the only freedom he was not granted._

Lin did not stay very long with his mother, he did not like the loudness of the crowds that gossiped and made fun of his sisters, and he did not like the stares he was getting, hearing the whispers of being too pale, too quiet. He carried what parcels he had into the alleys, spying some people there that were avoiding the main walkway.

“Happy Yule,” he said as he gave the first family a package, “From the Lord Faerchylde’s estate. We hope that your coming year is as wonderful as this one was.”

The children shyly reached for it, but their mother stopped them, “We don’t want kindness from one that can’t see out his own walls. Hunger lasts us year round tiny Lord. You want to do something kind, fix that.”

With that she left, and the boy and girl looked back at him with large eyes before running after their mother. Lin stood there holding the package and looking confused.

Sighing, he set the packages down and whispered a few words of magic. His mother wanted him to care for his people, he needed to know what that meant. He closed his eyes and felt the bit of magic travel down his skin, shivering for a moment as his clothes turned ragged and worn and his hair grew dark.

The child opened his eyes at the sound of a small gasp, and saw a girl standing there staring at him. 

“...Are you a faerie?” her voice barely rose above a whisper, and he stared at her clothing, they were patched and faded so many times that it was hard to see what sort of dress her original one was, and her shawl was old and moth-eaten. Her feet were the most painful to look at, there were no shoes, and they were wrapped in darkened bandages.

Lin felt sick, and then turned to look at her face, swallowing when he noticed that despite all this, the eyes beneath the shaggy mud colored hair were bright and happy, and the prettiest green that he had ever seen. 

“No,” he smiled at her, “I’m just a magician. My master can weave spells like tapestries and I only knit a few at a time,” he held his hand out to her, “I want to learn of this town and the parish. Can you teach me?”

She stared at him for a moment, fumbling with her basket, “I… have to sell matches or Da…” she took a deep breath, “You’ll buy them?”

“Every one,” he promised.

She grinned and took his hand, and they spent the entire day playing and laughing, and he could not remember being so happy in his short life. Neither noticed the day was nearly done until he heard his mother calling, and the girl took a deep breath.

“You’ll come again?”

He nodded, and she kissed his cheek and ran off, both forgetting his promise to buy the matches. His mother noted the remarkable change in him, though fretted over his nice clothes being made to rags, and at dinner that night and breakfast the next morning, Lin would only speak of his friend and the adventures they had made up having in town.

Cordelia smiled gently at him, signing to ask questions about the girl and the Bastard nodded along, saying that perhaps she knew where she lived.

Lin was overjoyed when they agreed to take him, he had never gone anywhere with his sisters, and he was so happy to be meeting with his friend again.

He stared at the house the carriage stopped at, a run down shack near the edges of the town, and the Bastard told him and Cordelia to stay seated, going to knock at the door.

“She can’t live here…” Lin whispered, “They…” he glanced at his elder sister as she started to sign.

“There is a lot of this world that is unjust. All we can do is let there be some justice in it, some magic for those who have none of their own.”

The Bastard came back nearly growling, “Come on,” she said as she grabbed Lin’s hand, “We have to find her. Milady…”

“Carry me. Lin can walk.” 

The Bastard nodded and took her gently out of the carriage, “She came home, but she didn’t sell her wares, he wouldn’t let her in,” the near growls turned feral and Cordelia laid a hand on her shoulder, “...We don’t have much time. If she didn’t find shelter last night… the snow…”

Lin left them then, running and whispering a few words to summon a sprite to lead him to her. _I didn’t buy the matches! I forgot! Think! What did she tell you yesterday?!?_

Not much, not even her name… but she did speak of her grandmother that had made the worn shawl for her, and she did speak of warm bread with butter and honey dripping on it that she used to eat before her grandmother died and her father started drinking.

_The Bakery! She showed it to me yesterday!_

The sprite seemed to agree, it was leading him in that direction, and he slid in the snow as he came to the alleyway behind the shop, covering his mouth as he saw what was lying there on the ground.

She was there, near covered in the falling snow, huddled around a burnt bundle of matches, with a smile on her face.

Lin knelt at her side, brushing the snow away, trying to figure some way to save her, there had to be something he could do, some spell his master once taught him.

_"There is a price…"_

The voice was one he never heard before, yet one that he _knew_ , and he paused, realizing that the girl he had made friends with only yesterday was dead.

“What is it?” he asked, not knowing or caring who would answer.

There was a gentle laughter, the sound of waves crashing against the shore, and a soft touch to his back, “Not for you child, for _her._ She wishes for you to no longer be alone and sad. This was the price that she paid.”

“...how does this fulfill that promise?”

“Watch. See the matches?"  
  
He blinked, turning his attention to them as singing started, the most beautiful voice he had ever heard, and yet, he knew that it was not the one that spoke to him that owned it, it was another bargain that she had made. 

The fire started again, engulfing the matches and he gasped as they started to crawl up the girl’s arm, being stopped from moving by a firm hand, “Watch. The fire no longer hurts her.”

He had no choice, and horrified, he watched as the girl burned, gagging at the smell her flesh and bones made as they turned to char in the flames that did not burn anything else around them.

Soon the fire had burnt out, and there was a pile of ash where she had once been.

Lin struggled against the one that held him, “It is not done yet Child,” she whispered, and at her words the ashes started to move, as the song changed from one of destruction and pain to one of sad hope, igniting as a softer flame started, then grew, and the smell that came with it made him think of the spices that were warmed in the Yule wine.

“It was a dangerous bargain she made, but I have dominion in this area, and no others could answer,” she whispered, “The hearts of children make the most dangerous wishes of them all. Be glad I am not one that eats them.”

With that, she was gone, and the fire died down again, leaving a rather confused looking girl with bright reddish orange hair and sun-kissed skin sitting naked in the snow, and she turned in confusion, then smiled as she saw him.  
  
“Lin!” she said, hugging him tightly, “You came back!”

He cried as he hugged her, and behind him the Bastard and Cordelia turned the corner, the latter with an odd look on her face, the first looking more relieved that they had found him.

“We better get her some clothes Little Brother,” she said cheerfully, placing Cordelia down for a second to place her cloak around the girl, “I don’t think Father will mind if we take her home with us.”

“...Can I?” she asked timidly, “Lin, is it alright if I stay with you?”

He nodded happily, “We’re friends, right? And I don’t want you going back to that place. Besides, if I’m going to be the Duke, then I need someone to stand with me, right?”

She smiled and both stood as the Bastard gently picked up Cordelia, and the four made their way to the carriage.

The air shifted behind them, and eyes that had seen the rise and fall of ages watched as moonlight hair flowed around her as if she were underwater.

_“...Soon my children. Those wishes you have are dangerous things.”_

And yet, the hearts of these children were hers to protect. There was a price… there was always a price.

It was one that must be paid in full. Yet she would not complain as she did.

  



End file.
